The first act of Kevin Keegan's previous incarnation as Newcastle United manager was to order the professional fumigation of all dressing rooms at the club's training ground. With the recently departed Sam Allardyce having been big on hygiene, Keegan has no need for similarly drastic measures this time but even if the sinks, showers and floors are now pristine he undoubtedly inherits a club afflicted by contamination in other departments.

Newcastle's class of 2008 are much richer and far more powerful than the squad he took on 16 years ago, some of them are past their primes but enjoying the security of lucrative, long-term contracts, and "Special K" will need to muster every shred of the charismatic man-management which Rob Lee recalls making him "feel 10 feet tall".

When Keegan went to introduce himself to his squad after Wednesday night's FA Cup replay win against Stoke City he accidentally marched in on Tony Pulis's team's ablutions, the home and away dressing rooms having been swapped since he was last in power at St James' Park. Such facilities are not the only things to have changed. Almost the entire topography of top-flight football has altered substantially since the days when Keegan left his players to devise their own set-piece routines and had to be persuaded to make Mark Lawrenson his defensive coach.

Back then Newcastle trained at Durham University in front of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of fans. Terry McDermott regularly nipped into town to buy sandwiches at Marks & Spencer for squad lunches and anyone who mentioned Prozone would have been deemed to be talking science fiction.

But although Keegan may be sufficiently retro to permit Damien Duff to start eating the bread and pasta the winger was told to eliminate from his diet by Allardyce's nutritionists, Lee insists his old manager will not live in the past. "Kevin's not daft," said the former Newcastle and England midfielder whom Keegan once dressed up in a military uniform in order to pose for pictures as "King Kev's midfield general".

Lee is unfazed by Keegan's claims that he has not watched a football match, either live or on television, in its entirety since departing Manchester City almost three years ago. "Remember Kevin didn't see a game for seven years between retiring as a player and becoming Newcastle manager the first time," he said. "He'll know what's what. Deep down he's always been a football man and I'm sure he'll have watched bits and pieces of games and still knows who the top players are.

"Despite having cut himself off from football for all those years in Spain before joining Newcastle in 1992, Kevin's record of buying players for the club was very good. I don't think there were many signings he lost money on or who flopped."

Lee is excited by the prospect of watching his old team in action. "I saw quite a few games under Sam Allardyce and it certainly wasn't pretty," he reflected. "I'm sure it will be far more attacking and exciting now . It would be fantastic if Kevin can recreate a team like the one we had in 1996. That will be very tough because we were just one of those rare groups of players who were able to gel but, if anyone can do it, it's Kevin."

When Allardyce departed, Lee believed only his good friend Alan Shearer and Keegan were viable contenders for the St James' Park vacancy. "People outside Newcastle might have thought it looked a job for Mark Hughes but the only two men capable of appeasing the Geordies were Alan and Kevin. I never thought Kevin would come back."

Despite a lack of closeness between Keegan and Shearer in recent times, it is understood their relationship could be revived and Shearer is being touted as a potential assistant to his old manager. "I don't think Alan would even consider being a No2 to anybody - except Kenny Dalglish and Kevin," said Lee. "But I don't know if it will happen."

Choosing the right assistant is imperative because the 56-year-old Keegan will need to delegate numerous tasks, possibly including the deconstruction of Allardyce's 'ologist-suffused backroom and an overhaul of the academy and scouting system.

During the 1990s Keegan avoided spreading himself too thinly by ruthlessly axing Newcastle's reserve side and running down the youth policy - his key coach Derek Fazackerley departed in disgust - but this time both areas will be nurtured, if not directly by the manager.

It remains to be seen whether Keegan will find a place on his staff for Dr Mark Nesti, the clinical psychologist hired by Allardyce, but as a keen reader of books on positive thinking, including Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Newcastle's new manager bought into sports psychology long before it was in vogue in football.

Tactics, especially when applied to defence, are much less of an enthusiasm and, judging by criticisms of his training regimen from several City players, it is vital he recruits a high-calibre coach to repair one of the Premier League's most porous backlines. The identity of such a figure is thought to have been discussed when Keegan and Sir Bobby Robson spent more than 30 minutes in earnest conversation late on Wednesday.

Both the former England coaches, and past and present Newcastle managers, know that Keegan is currently riding an extraordinarily sentimental wave of Geordie goodwill but are equally aware that even the greatest romances can end in tears.

Beneath all his passion Keegan is, after all, sufficiently hard-headed to know precisely what he is letting himself in for. "Football management is like Russian roulette," he once said. "You always have a gun at your head - the only question is whether there is a bullet in the barrel."

Who's in and out in black and white

Players in

Jermain Defoe

Keegan would love to pip Martin O'Neill for the Spurs striker who could polish off all those crosses he intends his wingers to provide.

Wes Brown

The Manchester United right back or centre-half can shore up a notoriously suspect defence.

Daniel van Buyten

The Bayern Munich defender is available and once had a loan spell at Keegan's Manchester City. Roy Keane wants him for Sunderland though.

Pascal Chimbonda

Newcastle lack dynamism at right-back and the unsettled Spurs defender would fit the bill.

Sol Campbell

A leaky and at times non-existent defence needs plugging and the veteran Portsmouth defender would do a job if only in the short term.

Players out

Michael Owen

But who would want him at Newcastle's asking price and with his wage demands? Much depends on whether Keegan and Owen can, as Alan Shearer expects, patch up their differences.

Shola Ameobi

Glenn Roeder, his old manager, wants him for Norwich City and Ameobi is desperate for first team football. Gareth Southgate and Roy Keane have considerd buying him for Middlesbrough and Sunderland too.

Emre

Keegan should like the skilful Turkey midfielder but Sam Allardyce was poised to offload him - possibly to Monaco.